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Often the time that we budget for getting ready in the morning is cut short. So unless we already had a good idea of what we were going to wear that day, we need what I call a “fast fall back outfit” (FFBO). The FFBO is a no-brainer, tried and tested outfit combination that you feel great wearing, AND takes you two secs to put together.

Fast fall back outfits will vary and you may have more than one. I have two generic FFBO combinations:

Dress and boots, or ballet flats depending on the season

Skinny jeans tucked into flat boots with turtle neck and jacket

As much as I love skirts and wear them regularly, they take the longest to style. I also very rarely wear slacks or walk shorts, so if I’m not in jeans, I’m either in a dress or skirt.

It might be worthwhile to create several FFBOs if you don’t have them already. You could even go so far as to plan the exact outfit combinations in advance. For example, the following ensemble is a more specific interpretation of my first generic FFBO:

Charcoal sheath dress

Dove grey cascading cardigan

Textured hose

Chestnut slouch boots

Gold accessories

Blue handbag

I know this outfit is a winner. I can grab it and feel fabulous in no time at all. Just what the doctor ordered when you only have a minute to decide what to wear.

Do you have fast fall back outfits? If so, what are they? If not, do you think they’re worth the effort?

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Moni

No matter what season, my FFBO is always a dress. In the summer its a sundress with cute sandals. In the spring or fall, I might switch up the shoes for flats with a tiny heel and add tights and/or a cardigan. In the winter, it’s two pairs of tights and boots, with a shirt layered underneath and/or a lightweight wool or cashmere cardigan on top. No matter the season, dresses are quick and easy base to layer and accessorize. I love them!

At the moment my FFBO is exactly what you suggest, grey sheath dress with hose. Then I can just grab a cardigan to pop over the top, any pair of textured hose for the bottom and my find of the winter my Carvela patent shoes. My go to jewellery are earrings – little pearl dangly ones.

I don’t have any “official” fallback outfits but I can generally default to a top and dress pants or skirt that I have worn together before if I am pressed for time. I try to plan out my outfits in my head the night before.

I’m afraid almost everyday is FFBO day for me. Dresses are always the best, but I don’t wear dresses to work. Jeans+a pretty top+cardigan+matching shoes is definitely one of my uniforms. The other one is skirt+knit top+boots(or flats or sandals)+cardigan is another. I generally add a cocktail ring and a belt as a quick accessories which is potentially the reason for owning so many of them.

My FFBO hair is french twist which takes approximately 30 seconds to style even when the hair is wet. And for makeup, powder, multi-purpose stick and mascara takes about 2mins.

My fallback outfit always involves a scarf! When I don’t have much time or am feeling uninspired, I know that for me, the scarf will make any outfit pop. So I pick the scarf first (usually colorful, e.g. my newest one is a long oblong rayon scarf with citron, cobalt blue and turquoise) and then decide whether I’m wearing jeans or a skirt, and whether I’ll wear a simple knit sweater or a cardigan. Everything comes together quickly from there; it might be my most original or sophisticated outfit (e.g. might just be skinny boots in boots paired with a simple v-neck sweater, plus of course the scarf); it might not be a “great” outfit, but it’s going to be a “fine” one and when I don’t have time or creative juices then that’ll have to do!

I was actually just pondering this concept today. I do the FFBO idea 2 or 3 times a week and then get more creative the other days of the week. I also have my FFBO Saturday outfit and my FFBO Sunday outfit. Having most of my outfits pre-planned has made my life much simpler. I was calling it “uniform” dressing but FFBO sounds more stylin’.

My FFBO for fall/winter: jeans/cords/ponte pants with a layering t-shirt with a cardi/light jacket/waistcoat over top. My necklaces and scarves are out on my dresser and easy to grab as I dash out the door. For shoes, that depends on the weather and amount of rain I will be dealing with….I decide on the fly. I have been known to lay out stacks of bottoms/layering t’s/toppers before a heavy week and just make it a grab-n-go situation.

Most days, I don’t have time to really fuss with my clothes so having a pre-planned wardrobe has simplified my life. Since I have it all pre-planned, I feel well dressed and appropriate no matter where my day takes me.

I don’t have one and really I should, actually several, for different types of occasions. Most of my wardrobe works together so I don’t find myself standing in front of my closet feeling like I have nothing to wear but I would love to find a couple of outfits that I know I can knock them dead in.

I’ve come to realize that my Fall/Winter FFBO is Skirt+Top/Blouse+Jacket+Patterned Hose+Boots+Chunky Bracelet Or Skinnies+Tunic/Kurta+Jacket+Chunky Bracelet and/or Necklace. I switch between a necklace and a scarf. For Spring/Summer, the boots will be replaced by sandals and pumps, the heavy jackets with lightweight cotton jackets and the necklaces will dominate scarves

All thanks to you Angie, I have actual formulas I can fall back on and still look comfortable and stylish!

What a great post! I can’t tell you how many times, I am rushed in the morning and try a new outfit that hasn’t been tested. It usually takes me longer to get ready and often something is not right (ie wrong pattern on the tights).

I fall back on black, white, and grey combinations on those days. I may throw in color in an accessory – but not in the clothes. Whenever I try to incorporate navy, brown, or any other “neutrals”, it takes me much longer to put together an outfit. Now, I do have some tried and tested ways of using my brown print frock, or navy pants – but those are more strictly defined outfits. With black, white, and grey I can change things and still know that it will work.

In the last few weeks I started planning my outfits the night before which really ups my style quotient. But there are still days (and too many of them) when I just don’t get to it and need a grab-and-go outfit. This is often jeans, a button-down shirt (if I have ironed them in advance – otherwise it’s a fitted t-shirt), a cardigan and a big necklace. In summer my emergency outfit has usually been chino pants or a chino skirt with a colourful polo-shirt and a necklace. Unfortunately this really looks like an emergency and I am determined to find a better fall back option for this year.

My main no-brainer outfit is: bootcut jeans, cami/tee, blazer or jacket, boots if it’s cold, otherwise flats or sandals. I can add a scarf or jewelry if I want to but having a structured jacket always makes me feel put together!

My fall back outfit this winter was (and still is): denim leggings or skinnies + wool shift dress (it’s on a short side) + button down or another type of top + cardigan (if it’s cold) + long leather jacket + knee length boots. Add a scarf and a cloche hat, hee! I badly need to replace my shift dress. If it’s raining, I swap the leather jacket for a trench.

When the weather is warmer, it’s usually something using white jeans. Or if I’m really pressed for time and ideas it’s the following: boot cut pinstripe pants + some kind of top + dark denim jacket + red ballet flats.

This past summer I had two casual fall back dresses.
But overall, skirts and dresses seem difficult to style because I need to consider shoes or boot height + coat or jacket length. Actually as I’m typing this the following outfit came to my mind and I’ll be sure to try this soon: patterned dress + textured hose + boots + cropped jacket + scarf.

for years I have been recording every outfit I make up on a handwritten card index system, so at night I only have to check the weather report, pick out a garment card, and there is the whole outfit for the next day.

When I buy a new garment, I make up a fresh card. Then I try the garment on over the weekend, which is when I actually have time to test the full outfit options. If there are various versions that work, I record them all on the same card. I nearly always have at least 3 options, so I don’t have to get bored wearing the same combination every time. Different accessory suites are the lifeblood of my outfit gallery.

So… I never have to rack my brains to work out what to wear, whether it’s day or evening, weekend or a workday. And I shudder to think how much earlier I would have to get upon weekday mornings if I didn’t have my cards!

For me, fall back is jersey dress (or skirt and blouse), cardigan, tights, and boots/booties. No brainer. Generally all knit. Easy and as comfy as a jogging outfit. I can dress it up or down with belts, heels, blazer or structured jacket instead of the cardigan, or a scarf. Sometimes, I think I wear this so much that I think it’s become a uniform.

I need to lay out my outfit the night before as I’m not a morning person and don’t think clearly at 5am. If a FFBO is needed during the week it’s straight dark wash jeans, tank under a buttondown shirt, and scarf and low boots. On Sunday it’s a dress and flats.

Cute idea! I definitely live by the FFBO, because I often have to wake up so early that there isn’t time to think much about what I’m going to wear. In the winter my typical FFBO was straight jeans, knee boots, a long sweater or tunic, pea coat and pashmina, or a sweater dress, leggings, knee boots, pea coat and pashmina. Now that it’s milder outside (yay!) my FFBO seems to be changing to leggings, flats, tunic or long button-down, and trench or denim jacket. I can’t wait until my FFBO is a sundress and sandals.

The oft repeated idea that skirts are hard to style is giving me a complex, because they are absolutely my fallback. Am I making terrible slobby outfits out of these skirt/stretchy top/cardigan combos? Dresses are harder for me to buy (the damn empire waist thing) and harder to style in that they often don’t look as good with a cardigan, which I often need to stay warm.

I do have a coiple of FFBOs, although they are nothing special. For winter it is skinnies tucked into boots, a turtleneck and a cascading ( or boyfriend cardi). In the summer it is straight or bootcut jeans, ballet flats and a pretty knitted top. And big sunglasses and chunky watch in both cases.

Most certainly! A black jersey-knit dress from VS, textured black tights, and a ruched short-sleeved top from Express and black knee-high boots from Macy’s. I have a modal, navy blue wrap from Banana Republic that looks great with everything and keeps you warm in those cold airplanes/offices.

When I worked, sometimes I set up my outfits ready to go on Sunday night for the whole week, with a few options… (an extra layer, if cold; a different shoe, if rainy). Maybe it took away from the spontaneity of choosing according to mood, but it certainly helped to have everything ready to go, clean and without mishaps… I plan on doing the same for my toddler’s start of preschool this coming fall…